Of course not (at least, I hope not). Fundamentally, I would be teaching you a different game --- volleyball --- not basketball. That's the point I'm making. If students are never subjected to anything that has some correlation between self-defense or combat, it's disingenous to suggest the training perpares them for it.

Paul

Every time someone joins an aikido class they are subjected to aikido, which work as a means of self preserver. How can it then be disingenous to suggest that among other things aikido will give you a means to preserv you and your surrounding? The only way to truly understand this is lots of training in aikido. I don't have to have combat/sparring training to know it works since myself and many more have been in situations enough to know it works. And here's the beauty of it all: it even work for people that doesn't see it as self defence, as long as they are training aikido. This is budo, not sport, not basketball or anything else. It's non-compareable.